Murphy reprises his role as Axel Foley in the pilot, though this time the focus is on Axel's son

The pilot episode for Eddie Murphy‘s Beverly Hills Cop TV series has been rejected by US network CBS.

Murphy teamed up with Shawn Ryan, creator of several popular TV series including The Shield, to develop the show and pitch it to US TV networks last summer. CBS gave the show a “pilot production commitment” but after seeing the finished episode, the network has decided not to commission a full season, Deadline reports.

Murphy starred as wise-cracking detective Axel Foley in three Beverly Hills Cop movies between 1984 and 1994. He reprises his role in the pilot, but the TV show focuses on Axel’s son Aaron, played by Brandon T Jackson. The pilot also boasts a high-profile director: Men In Black‘s Barry Sonnenfeld.

Despite the rejection by CBS, Deadline notes that Murphy’s TV series may not be dead yet, as the pilot is likely to be shopped around to other networks. If a full season is commissioned, Murphy has said he will “show up here and there” as Axel Foley in future episodes.

In a 2011 interview with Rolling Stone, Murphy confirmed that plans for a fourth Beverly Hills Cop movie have now been laid to rest. He explained: “None of the movie scripts were right; it was trying to force this premise. If you have to force something, you shouldn’t be doing it. It was always a rehash of the old thing. It was always wrong.”